It Hurts To Heal
by GoddessofDawn
Summary: What if Ana and Christian met when they were younger? Being shipped from London to Seattle, thirteen year old Ana tries to heal her wounds. However, as soon as blue eyes catch grey eyes, Ana focuses on revealing the secrets that haunt 17 year old Christian. After finding out, she must struggle to save the boy she loves.
1. Chapter 1

**Important Authors note!**

 **I know I've been MIA, but I couldn't find the inspiration to carry on with Roommates. If anything, it was more like a one shot smut scene or something because I was going nowhere with that plot. So I changed it completely.**

 **Warning! No smut until chapter sixteen or fifteen! No one is going to have sex for a while because Christian is seventeen, almost eighteen and Ana is twelve to thirteen. I've maintained the age gap because the story continues like the book shelves tweeted with Ana twenty two and Christian twenty seven.**

 **This story is posted in Archive Of Our Own under the same user name and same title.**

 **This story has mature themes, sexual scenes and string language (of course it does, its Fifty Shades Of Grey) and original characters belong to me while the rest belong to EL James. I'm only saying this once.**

 **Please comment, ask away if you have concerns or rant to me why I should put my first piece back up. But I want this to be a better written story with developed characters rather than sexual fantasies.**

 **On with the new story...**

Stephen had always said I was a nosy little bitch, always trying to find out about other peoples secrets. Damn right I was nosy but he only said it because I busted him cheating on mum and found enough evidence to put him away for a while.

To be honest, the white powder he always had on the tip of his nose and in his stubble along with the ugly purple lipstick marks on his neck made everything too obvious for my twelve year old mind to figure out.

Anyway, those damn nosy skills of mine helped me in busting yet another monster, this one more disgusting, manipulative and horrifying than a cheating crack addict.

I just wished I had spoken up sooner, since the damage was done. One of the people I cared most about had been hurt but everyone told me I had ultimately saved him and others.

If I was such a great saviour, why wouldn't he look me in the eye? He would always blame me for destroying his life when it just started going so well for him.

I guess Stephen got something else right about me.

I was a worthless slut, ruining lives.

* * *

Ana's POV

Ray had a much more stable and easy going life in Seattle. He had been from Mississippi originally but met my mother in London when he moved out as an act of defiance from his father. Now he owned a successfull carpentry business and lived in Bellevue, a rich and well off part of town.

It was so different from Stephens murky flat.

"You like it baby?" Ray asked me, setting my suitcase down in the large space called my new room.

"Thank you Daddy." I hugged him, squeezing a bit longer. I knew he regretted not taking custody of me especially with more recent events.

"You're welcome Annie. I'll let you get settled." That was one thing I liked about Ray. He didn't hover like Carla. He let me unpack my clothes without interrupting. I settled rather quickly, not having much to unpack and sat on the double bed, staring at the large space.

It felt foreign.

Everything felt foreign. Everything was foreign. From the country I now inhabited to the street I lived in to the room I would sleep in, it didn't fit. I wasn't American like Ray, I had never seen more money than twenty pounds in the hands of my broke mother and I was used to living inside a wardrobe, hiding from Stephens creepy friends.

My room started spinning and I realised I wasn't breathing properly. Putting a shaky hand over my chest, I tried to even my breathing, not wanting to cause trouble with Ray. I kicked off my shoes and grabbed the ratty Mr Carrot while crawling under my covers despite it only being 8 pm.

I wiped away the traitorous tears and shut my eyes, willing sleep to take me. After twisting and turning, I fell into a restless sleep, only waking up twice inbetween strange dreams.

* * *

"Annie, you up?" I bolted upright, hearing Rays voice shout from the stairs. I looked at the clock, noticing how I had slept until noon. Getting up, I heard a new voice downstairs, a girl, talking to my dad.

I rummaged through what little clothes I had, picking my best black skinny jeans and my only decent maroon long sleeved shirt. It was warm outside, since spring was slowly morphing into summer so after brushing my teeth and hair, I slipped on my worn out black ballet flats and decided to greet the stranger.

"Hey Annie, this is Mia Grey, the neighbours from opposite, and she thought it would be a good idea to show you around." Ray said, his steely blue eyes scanning my face, probably noticing the tear stains I desperately tried to cover. Having been in the military, he was trained for this sort of stuff and I could tell he would talk to me later.

I really hated bugging people.

"Hey Anastasia, I can tell we're going to be great friends." The girl was short and petite, not in an unhealthy case like me, rather, it suited her well, like the sleek black bob cut and the pixie like features that made her look like an elf.

She was pretty, rich and outgoing, I had no idea how well we would fit together, but I nodded for her case, smiling a little at her infectious attitude.

"Come on, we need to buy you new clothes. I know the perfect plac for you." She began sizing me up and rambling about clothes and brands I never heard of. Looking at Ray, he shrugged with a smirk on his face, letting the pixie girl take control.

"Welk girls. I hope you have fun. Sorry Annie, but I got to work. I leave you my card if you want to buy anything." He handed me his card, but before he could leave, I pulled from the girl's arms and surprised him with a tight hug.

"Love you Dad." I whispered, inhaling the familiar scent of leather and saw dust.

"Love you too Annie." He replied gruffly, a voice he put on when he was feeling emotional. Ray wasn't my biological dad, but I took his last name and he was the only thing I had closest to a father.

"You go on and have fun kiddo. It's the least you deserve." He cleared his throat and left and I felt a bit better. I'm glad I was getting over my separation anxiety. Of course Ray didn't know about it. He probably just thought I was an over emotional teenage girl and I left it at that.

"You really love him." Mia's voice was quiet and soft, a tone I hadn't heard her speak. Her light brown eyes stared at me, boring into my too large blue eyes, as if reading my soul.

"Yeah." I nodded awkwardly.

"Lets go. My brother Elliot will drop us off to the mall. But first, you have to meet my parents. They'll love you!" And the sentimental and emotional atmosphere vanished as the little girl dragged me outside, barely letting me lock the place with my keys, before we went to a larger house opposite.

I barely noticed it yesterday. It was mostly covered by tall trees on either side of it and although it had the similar oak and wooden structure of the nearer houses, it had glass walls in place of the windows, making the pace larger and more open.

The inside was just as beautiful as the outside.

Once again, I felt out of my element when Mia led me through a large reception area, past the grand staircase and into a large living room, forcing me to sit on the large plush white sofas while she went to seek out her family member in the castle of a house.

God, I felt like my peasant bacteria were already dirtying the pristine surroundings around me.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" An angry voice barked behind me, making me jump. I really hated angry voices.

"I was invited in by Mia." I shrugged, meeting blazing grey eyes which were set in a structured face. He was tall, slightly muscular and very handsome with copper hair, but he was older than me. He looked around 18. He looked like he wanted to say something else, if by the twitching of his jaw was anything to go by.

"Just don't come upsatairs. Keep your little girl things away from me." He muttered. He turned to leave, but was interrupted by a loud Mia coming in, greeting him.

"Christian, this is my new friend Anastasia, she just moved in with Ray." They seemed to stare into each other's eyes, as if silently conversing. Christian then looked at me, his grey eyes widening by a tiny fraction that a normal person wouldn't have noticed.

"Yeah. Whatever." He mumbled, looking away, seemingly embarrassed. Maybe I should stop staring so much. He was about to leave, when two people, a man and a woman walked in. I stood up, straightening my tshirt.

"Mom, Dad, this Anastasia. Anastasia, these are my parents, Grace and Carrick Grey, and my annoying older brother Christian." She rolled her eyes at him, and his jaw began twitching again, as if it downright infuriated him.

"Please, call me Ana, Mr and Mrs Grey." I stuck out my hand for them to shake. Mr Grey took it, his dark eyes scrutinising me. He had neat blonde hair and was handsome, in an older man way. Mrs Grey surprised me, by giving me a hug which I returned awkwardly. People never hugged me, not even Ray, unless I started the hug.

"Please, call me a Grace." She smiled, letting go, her eyes scanning me. I didn't miss the way she frowned and her eyes became sympathetic and angry at something. Her green eyes met mine and she gave me a motherly look that almost made me choke back a sob.

It seemed they all knew something about me. Thenway Christians eyes widened at me, the way Mr Grey stared into my soul, the way Grace hugged me lovingly like a mother should. I had no doubt that Ray wouldn't talk about me like that, but I felt he had shared something with his neighbours, just in case.

"I just love your accent. Isn't it just adorable? So you're from London?" Mia babbled, I just nodded, since everyone's eyes were on me. "Wait, where's Elliot? Elliot!" Mia shouted up the fairs. God, I really hated shouting.

Stephen used to shout a lot.

"Sup baby sis." A big burly boy with blonde curls and cute dimples showed up, ruffling Mia's hair. He smiled goofily, in a way that completely disregarded the scary image his muscles were giving him.

"Ana, this is my other brother Elliot. He'll be our chauffeur for the day, since he got caught making out wth our last maid in the-" She was cut off by Elliot protesting and chasing her around the room while their parents laughed quietly.

I caught the eye of Christian, who was already staring at me.

It seemed, he was trying to hide something. I could tell by the way his jaw kept twitching, probably a nervous trait. He would always turn away when our eyes caught and I'd continue staring.

People were only scared of eye contact when they didn't want anyone to read them. I know a secret keeper when I saw one. It took one to know one. After all, the eyes were the windows to the soul.

Yeah Christian definetly had something to hide.


	2. Chapter 2

Ana POV

The shopping spree had been tiring. Although Mia's enthusiasm was infectious, I knew next to nothing about clothes and brands and my feet hurt. I did, however, enjoy treating myself a little, by buying new clothes, shoes and a few accessories. I made a mental note to thank Ray later.

Mia's brother Elliot was also pretty easy to get along with. Although he spent most of his time flirting with girls, he gave me a piggy back ride when my feet hurt, making me laugh till my tummy hurt.

"So, which school are you going to?" Mia asked, in the backseat of Elliot's expensive car as he drove us home.

"Seattle Prep-" I was cut off by a loud squeal that almost made Elliot swerve off the road.

"We go there too. Oh Ana, I just know we're going to be best friends." I laughed I surely as the smaller girl rambled on about her friends and the school and the teachers, and I was perfectly content with just listening to her talk, rather than talking myself.

"Okay girls, we're here." Elliot opened our doors for us, making me giggle like a little girl. I hadn't known him for long yet he was already one my favourite people. Looking on the street, Ray wasn't home yet so I began walking across the road, wanting to get a head start on dinner, as a thank you for letting me stay.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" The giant hand on my shoulder made me jump, scaring the wits out of me. I whirled around and let out a breath as I saw it was just Elliot. Trying to calm myself down, I offered him a weak smile as his blue yes stared into my own. Elliot was a big guy, probably bigger than Stephen and his skinny addict friends, but he wouldn't hurt me.

"Mom has invited you and Ray over for dinner. She's just called him and sorted it out." He took his hand off my shoulder, looking guilty before beckoning me to follow him into his house. Once again, I marvelled at the beautiful architecture. Ray's house was beautiful too, but nowhere near as extavangsnt as this one.

"You're back again." I met grey eyes again and the copper haired boy from earlier stood by the stairs grumbling at me. I frowned.

"I'd leave if I thought being here was a problem, but I was invited here for dinner. I'm sure you know it's extremely impolite to deny dinner invitations." I gritted out, trying not to let his rude behaviour grate on my nerves.

He stared at me, a mixture of shock and anger darkening his beautiful features. I turned away, walking further into the house, to where I assumed the kitchen was. Thank God I was not directionally challenged, because I found Mrs Grey and some maids faffing around in the kitchen.

"Anastasia, you made it! Mia and Elliot have been gushing about how they enjoyed the trip." Mrs Grey, ever the kind woman, hugged me again, twice that day, smiling at me as if I was her child.

I wish my mum had looked at me like that.

"Come on, dinner will take a while. You can play with Mia." She ushered me out of the busy kitchen, and back into the living room where Mia all but grabbed me and dragged me to her room. Aside from Christian and Mr Grey, It seemed the whole family were comfortable with physical contact. Even then, Mr Grey shook my hand.

"So..." Mia looked expectantly at me, as we sat on her large pink bed. Her room was white, pink and blue, with decorations and ornaments all over the place, including a mannequin near her walk in wardrobe that she dressed clothes in.

"So..." I copied her, unsure of what she expected from me.

"What's London like?" She asked, resting her chin on her palm, her big doe eyes staring at me.

"It's nice. Busy and noisy, but still home." I murmured. I spent most of my days wandering the streets, since it was safer than my own home. I enjoyed exploring the large city, there was always something new to see.

"I've never been, I want to go." She sighed wistfully. "What's your mom like?" I froze at her question, not knowing what to say about the woman that birthed me. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry, I wasn't sure if - just forget I asked okay?" She looked so upset.

"No it's okay, just threw me off guard." I assured her. I mulled over my next words."She's nice, a little flighty and unorganised, but when it was just me and her, she was nice. She'd get me what I wanted, always making up adventures for us." I paused. The good memories were much more emotional in my opinion, because I knew I could never have them back.

"It's just, she had a horrible taste in guys. I'll save you the drama and tears, long story short, she married a crack addict stupid enough to be busted by a twelve year old." A bitter laugh escaped my lips and I blinked back the tears. Mia had tears in her eyes, crushing me in a hug which I returned just as equally.

"Aw, let me get some of that!" Before I knew it, Elliot joined the hug, squishing us both in his big muscly arms, making us squeal and topple on the bed. We started tickling him to get out of his arms and soon we were all tickling each other.

"Moms calling you all. Dinners ready and Ray's here." Christian's cold voice broke us from our laughter. I straightened my clothes before rushing downstairs. Not caring about my hair which was all over the place, or my flushed smiling face, I greeted Ray with a hug, surprising him a little.

Dinner was all set and we took our places. I sat between Ray and Mia, opposite Christian and Elliot. Mr and Mrs Grey sat at the ends of the table.

"So Anastasia, how you enjoying Seattle so far?" Mr Grey asked, once we all tucked into our delicious steak.

"It's amazing Mr Grey, and your kids have all been wonderful." He chuckled, light blue eyes shining at my polite answer.

"Please, Carrick will do. Mr Grey makes me feel old." He chuckled with Ray both of whom had their gazes on me, making me heat up.

"Anyways, Ana, you are coming over tomorrow. We have to get you ready for school." Mia stated, leaving no room for arguments. I just nodded, clearing my plate and wiping my mouth with a napkin.

"So what did you do at work today Daddy?" I asked, taking a sip of my water. Ray smiled at me, his features softening, making my chest swell.

"Nothing much. Just the usual, trying to get the sawdust out of my socks." He chuckled as did the rest of the table. Feeling eyes on me, I turned my head to meet Christian's eyes, who was scrutinising me, as if reading me.

"Anastasia dear, you're finished early. Please help yourself to more."

"It's just Ana Mrs Grey, and thank you. The food was delicious but I'm perpetually stuffed." I answered her concerned comment, blushing at everyone's gazes. I promise, I'm not anorexic, it just takes getting used to eating. Steady progress though. My dietitian advised me to take five small meals a day to get back to my normal weight.

"So, what do you want to be when you grow up?" Mia asked.

"Not sure, probably an editor or a publisher. I wanna major in English Literature." I shrugged. "What about you?" I asked.

"Isn't it obvious? A fashion designer!" She squealed for the billionth time that day.

"What about you Elliot?" I asked, sice the adults were having a conversation of their own.

"No clue." He smiled.

"What about you Christian?" I asked, addressing the boy who wouldn't stop staring at me.

"No idea. Probably end up being a lawyer." He mumbled. A hot lawyer.

Sooner than I would have liked to, we were saying goodbye, with me and Ray carrying the bags I had gotten with clothes in it. With a few good nights and settling down, I lay in my bed, comfortable and happy for once, looking forward to tomorrow, and strangely, even school.


	3. Chapter 3

Ana POV

I woke up wheezing, struggling to breath in a fit of coughs. I clawed at my throat not being able to get air in my lungs, the horrors of my dreams feeling so real. The door burst open and Ray looked around worried, before looking at me. I tried to assure him it was alright, but I was feeling dizzy from the lack of air and could barely speak.

"Just...a dre-a dream." I panted. He rushed over to my bed and scooped me up in his arms, rocking me back and forth, murmuring comforting words. His gruff voice and his leathery scent calmed me as I caught my breath.

"Oh God, Annie, I worry about you so much." He admitted, his voice sounding tourtured.

"I'm sorry." I didn't want to put him through any pain, he already did so much for me.

"No Annie, don't be sorry, you have nothing to be sorry for." He stated, his blue eyes looking at me sternly but lovingly. I couldn't take it. I just let the traitorous tears roll and the restrained sobs out, weeping into his chest, feeling like a little girl.

"Its going to be alright. Nothing will happen to you. I'm here for you." He kept repeating the words, until my cries died down and I was left hiccuping silently, feeling tired and drained. I peeked at the clock, seeing it was almost six in the morning and I felt awful for disturbing Ray's sleep.

"I should never have let that stupid woman take custody of you." He muttered angrily, making me let out a weak laugh.

"You go ahead and sleep. Do you need anything?" He asked. I shook my head no and after tucking me in like he used to, he gave me a kiss on the forehead and the nose to make me giggle, just like old times. After the door clicked shut, I grabbed Mr Rabbit before falling into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

I woke up feeling groggy, not wanting to remember this mornings events, before heading to the bathroom. After a nice long shower and sighing at my bony self, I dressed simply in skinny jeans and a random black top, leaving my hair out like always./p

"Ana? Are you up yet?" I heard the familiar tinkly voice call out. Mia came into my room, surprising me.

"Well come on, don't stare at me like a fish. We have things to do and people to see." She stated, reminding me of a not-so-scary kitten. I smiled, following her downstairs where I nibbled on some toast before heading over to her beautiful home.

"So, what do you like in school?" She asked, skipping across the road happily.

"English, books, reading, writing, the stuff." I shrugged. The conversation stopped as Mia came to a sudden halt in the living room, her light smile contorting into a deep scowl. Looking towards the object of her disgust, I shivered slightly.

The first thing I noticed about the stranger was her ridiculously inappropriate and disgusting attire. She was squished into a tight black dress that would probably still be too short on me. Her bubble butt was straining against the material so you could see the dustinct outline of her thong and her bust was spilling out of the extremely provocative neckline. Her lips, eyebrows, lashes and hair colour were also fake.

But that wasn't what made me shiver.

It was the sudden chill in air her presence bought.

"Oh, Mia, come, say hi." Grace ushered the small girl and the exuberant happy girl was glaring and sneering at the freaky woman. She forced out a cold 'hi' before stomping back over to me. The devil's icy eyes fell on me, looking at me with disdain and disgust, throwing me a sickeningly sweet smile.

"Oh, who's this?" She asked in a disgusted voice. Grace didn't seem to notice.

"This is our new friend and neighbour Ana. Ana, this is Elena Lincoln, she's a friend of mine." Grace gushed excitedly. The woman sneered at me, but Grace was as clueless as ever.

"Come on Ana, let's go upstairs." Mia stomped off, but I didn't follow, wanting to know what made me feel uneasy around her. Surely it had to be more than her poor choice of wear.

I turned around, hearing footsteps on the stairs and saw a moody Christian stomp down. He frowned at me, but pushed past me with his arrogant cocky walk before he paused in the living room. Elena smirked at him, her eyes shining with something disturbing. That's when I saw it.

Christians demeanour changed completely. His head was hung and his eyes downcast. His confident posture was replaced with a unsure one. It was unsettling. I had only seen Christian a few times, yet one thing I knew about him, just by seeing him around was that he was dominating. His presence demanded attention, his eyes bored into anyone lucky enough to hold his gaze and his stance was intimidating.

This was definitely not Christian.

This one looked meek, unsure and...submissive.

"Ana dear, would you mind leaving us alone for a while?" It wasn't really a question, more like demand but I left the room anyway, however, I felt uncomfortable leaving Christian in that room alone with the whore witch.

I stood outside the door in the reception room and if anyone came, I could make it look like I was going outside or upstairs.

"Christian, you haven't missed me at all?" The she devil purred. I shivered.

"Yes Mistress." Christian mumbled. It was barely audible, but I caught it and my stomach churned slightly. Mistress? Wasn't that what a woman who slept around with men were called? But she was married, the giant rock on her left hand clear evidence to that.

"None of the other boys were nearly as satisfying as you." I almost gagged at that. Other boys? Satisfying? What?!

"Sorry Mistresss." There it was gain, Christians quiet mumbling voice use that word again. In every book I read, mistress was used as a degrading term. It held the same meaning of side chick or side hoe.

"I want you in my dungeon tonight at eight, ready and waiting for me. I know you've been avoiding me and it won't go unpunished." Her voice turned several degrees colder. I began hearing footsteps, so I rushed up the stairs and ran into the first room I saw.

"Sup Ana Banana?" Elliot was lying on his bed shirtless, with some random magazine, his smirk lazy and completely relaxed.

"Nothing. That witch just scares me." I scrunched my nose at the mess in his room.

"Yeah me too. She once asked me if I would be interested in sleeping with her." He murmured casually.

"What?!" I shrieked, was that what she was doing to Christian.

"Yeah, and I was all for it, she was hot, I was horny, it all added up. But then she showed me this weird freaky dungeon with whips and canes and kinky shit, I literally ran away from her. I'm not into that BDSM shit. She tried seducing me again, but I said if she didn't stop, I would tell my parents about her trying to seduce and underage sixteen year old." He shivered slightly.

And then it all added up.

Holy shit!


	4. Chapter 4

Ana POV

I went downstairs again, in search of a Christian. I caught the woman as she was leaving, and she sneered at me before strutting out. Christian looked so lost and broken, it hurt me to see him like that. I barely knew him, but I had to do something.

"Christian?" I asked quietly, not wanting to startle him. His eyes snapped to mine and for a second, he looked like a small boy, his big grey eyes expressing his hurt and dread with one look. But soon, they closed and I could almost see the metaphorical walls he built around himself.

"Christian I-"

"Look, whatever you saw or you think you saw, just drop it, you don't know anything little girl so stay out of my way." His words stung, his voice was harsh, but I didn't focus on my hurt, I focused on my anger. Anger at the disgusting woman, anger at him for being so stupid.

"Firstly, don't call me little girl." I grounded out, stepping down from the last step to face him properly. "Secondly, I do understand what's happening and it is my business. I can't just let her take advantage of you!" I whisper yelled, not wanting the others to hear yet.

Suddenly, he grabbed my arm, his grip tight, almost hurting. I looked into his eyes and saw the anger, the pure anger, but what made me stop struggling was the fear in them. He was scared and didn't know what to do. My heart broke for him.

"Don't you dare tell anyone!" He roared. I feared someone heard, and I looked around, but I heard no one approaching.

"Look, what she's doing is wrong. I'm not sure what you've arranged with her, but don't go, please. She's twenty years your senior. Don't go." I begged.

"I have to." His voice cracked. He let go of my arm and I watched defeatedly as he left.

"Ana! Where were you? I was waiting for ages!" I made my way upstairs reluctantly, following a whiny and grumpy Mia to her girly room.

Dinner was tense. Well it was for me. Ray was still working today, Mr Grey looked irritated, Elliot was wolfing down his food like normal I guess and Mia was deep in thought. Mrs Grey was trying to make conversation, but it wasn't working.

"Mrs Grey, where's Christian?" I asked once I finished my food. Everyone was still eating.

"He's working for Elena. He won't be back till later." She smiled. Clearly, she had no idea what that woman was doing to her son, and it hurt to keep what little information I had from her, but I needed to do my own research. I had to find out exactly what this 'dungeon' was and exactly who these 'boys' were.

It could be I was mistaken in my assumption.

But I highly doubted that. Christian gave it all away with his threat and I knew dodgy people when I saw saw them, one important skill I picked up while living with Stephen and his junkie friends.

It seems Detective Steele was back for one more episode of Unveiling Criminals.

* * *

I woke up at six, not screaming, not crying, not scared. Just content and peaceful. It was my first day at school and I was going to Seattle Preparatory School. It started from middle school all the way to highschool and it was for the rich rich.

"You excited Annie?" Ray asked me as we ate the scrambled eggs I made for breakfast.

"Yeah, but I'm just worried. It seems like such an expensive school with all these rich kids-"

"Don't you think I'm allowed to spoil my little girl rotten?" Ray asked, his blue eyes swirling with emotions. I smiled at him.

"Come on, let's go." I grabbed my already packed black satchel. I slipped on some new shiny black ballet flats. The school required us to wear clothing with the school colours, but were pretty loose with the rules, as long it was black, white, grey or red.

I wore maroon skinny jeans and a tight white shirt Mia picked. My hair was in a French braid that Mia taught me yesterday and I had a nice black blazer on top. I liked the outfit and I felt my heart swell that Ray let me spoil myself.

The drive was mostly me listening to the radio, listening to the morning news before switching to a music station. Ray and I sung along to ridiculous songs like What Does The Fox Say while he drove his large, shiny black pick up truck to the school.

Sooner than I would have like, Ray stopped in front of a gigantic school where hundreds of students milled about, all of different ages and sizes.

"You ready Annie?" I nodded. I gave Ray a tight hug and a kiss, before waving him off, trying to squash the growing feeling of anxiety creeping up on me.

 _Think of something else._

 _You've dealt with drug addicts and alcoholics and creepy perverts, I'm sure you can deal with a few judgemental teenagers._

With a newfound sense of confidence and courage, I made my way towards the daunting building, ready for the day.


	5. Chapter 5

Ana POV/p

So far everything was going well, I had been given my schedule and a cute boy Jose Rodriguez had given me a tour of the building as he declared himself my official guide around the school. When I asked him why he set this task upon himself, he just smiled adorably.

"I can't pass up the opportunity to get to know the new beautiful girl." He replied, effectively making me blush.

The school had classes from as young as fourth grade, teaching ages from 9-10 all the way up to 18 in the high school section. I was meant to be in seventh grade, the equivalent of year eight back in the UK but they moved me up a grade to eighth grade, the U.K equivalent of year nine so I was with slightly older kids.

Jose, was in my original class, the one now younger than me so we wouldn't get to see each other till lunch because our timetables were different.

"Okay Ana, I'll see you at lunch." He stalked off to his own class, giving me a small wave before turning round the corridor.

* * *

The lessons weren't extremely difficult, just enough to keep my mind from worrying about Christian. I was so conflicted. I know I should approach Carrick and Grace, but I had to talk with Christian first, show him what that witch was doing was disgusting and wrong.

"Hey, you must be the newbie." A strawberry blonde girl approached me. Right now it was art and we were meant to be painting our feelings. I don't think the teacher would approve of me painting myself killing the scantily clad pedophile.

"Yeah, most people call me Ana." I murmured. She looked like those popular girls with tight clothes that emphasised her well developed hourglass figure, perfect hair and flawless makeup.

"I'm Katherine Kavanaugh, but you can call me Kate." The smile she gave me was sweet, it meant she accepted me and I smiled in return, all worry and anxiety gone.

"Cute accent by the way, you're from London?" She asked, adding the finishing touches to a bright painting of some colourful flowers.

"Yeah, born and raised in the playground is where I spent most if my days." I joked. She chuckled at me, giving me a strange look before shaking her head.

"You're funny. I like you."

Finally lunch rolled around and looked around for Mia or any of the Greys. The whole school was scheduled for lunch at the same time so students if every age crowded the cafeteria and spilled out into the playground. I caught Mia outside.

"Ana! How come you're not in my class? We're the same age!" She hugged me tightly and was almost shouting. I chuckled at her antics. I had already missed her.

"I've been moved a grade up." I explained.

"Smart and beautiful, wow, deadly combo." She playfully hit my arm and I laughed awkwardly, not sure how to respond. She began chattering about the school, all the hotspots and gossip when something caught my eye. A bright red BMW pulled up on the road opposite the school playground.

I saw non other than the she devil step out in a skin tight nude coloured body suit.

I almost felt sick.

Then I saw Christian leave the school premises and walk towards her. They then both got into the car, but thankfully didn't drive away. God, I didn't want to think about what she was doing to him in that car.

"Hey Mia, are we allowed to leave school premises on lunch break?" I interrupted. She furrowed her brow before answering.

"From eighth grade and up, you're lucky, you can grab some fries from Bucky's-"

"Yeah I'm getting some fries, I'll get you some too!" I almost ran to the exit, crossing the road. Looking back, I saw Mia talk to some of her friends and was glad she wasn't watching. I walked right up to the car, the windows were rolled down.

I grabbed my phone and thanked God Ray had bought me one. I may not use it to socialise, but I really needed it now. Especially now.

The witch looked shocked to see me leaning into the car. I was at the passenger side, where Christian sat, jaw twitching, looking so broken and lost. His posture was slumped, his head hung low, his position so unnaturally submissive.

Then it all clicked.

Dungeon, punishments, submissive stance, body suits and barely any clothes. Maybe Elena was into some deep and dark shit like BDSM. Pushing that small revelation aside, I smiled too sweetly at the woman in age denial.

"Elena Lincoln, I haven't been in the US for a long time, two days actually, and I'm not exactly sure about the laws and legistlations of the land, so correct me if I'm wrong, but pedophilia, sexual harassment, physical abuse and child sex grooming is illegal and can be punished for several years in jail." The more I spoke, the less I could hide the anger in my voice. I was so tempted to pull Christian from that car and call the police right now.

She blinked at me like a fish, not knowing how to respond. Christian looked panicked and was glaring at me, begging me to stop with his eyes. I'd deal with him later.

"I don't know who you think you are, but I'm the wife of Mr Lincoln, and a very important socialite. You don't know what you're saying." She shot at me, her eyes blazing.

"Oh, cheating on your husband as well. Tell me, does he know you like young underage boys? How many boys are you currently tying up and beating in your dungeon? Just out of curiosity." I smiled, enjoying the way I infuriated her.

"Poor girl. What does it matter? No one will believe you. Christian, you won't say a thing will you?" Her words held a threat under them that made me shudder with disgust. My heart broke when the boy in question murmured a quiet 'No'.

I needed to get her to spill a little more.

"Don't worry, I'll get one of them to reveal the hideous truth of The Child Molester Elena. That has a nice ring to it don't you think? I reckon it'll make some pretty nice headlines." I smiled sweetly, watching her nostrils flare. Christian was deadly silent.

"I wouldn't count on it. None of them would dare betray their mistress. Would they Christian?" She directed her disgusting gaze on Christian.

"No Mistress." He answered weakly.

"Let Christian go or I'll scream bloody murder." I snarled, angry at how she could do this to him.

"Don't worry, we were done. You are dismissed Christian." I stepped back as he exited the car and the disgusting woman drove away, speeding off into the distance. Christian didn't say anything for a while. He glanced at me before walking away and dissapearing into the school crowd. I chased after him, but lost him, instead leaning on a wall, glancing at my phone.

Perfect. Putting it away I grabbed some lunch and ate it alone on a bench, letting my thoughts stew in my head.

Should I tell Carrick and Grace today? Tonight? After dinner? Straight afterschool?

I sighed, running a hand through my too long hair, pushing back the tears and anger, trying to focus on something else. Shit, I still had the rest of the school day to get through.

What a fan-fucking-tastic first day!


	6. Chapter 6

Ana POV

I could hardly focus during the lessons. I completely forgot about my goal of making as many friends and to show the teachers I was smart enough for the classes. My mind wandered to Christian and my heart squeezed painfully thinking about him alone, in some dark corner all by himself.

School was thankfully over though, and I put my books away in my locker absentmindedly, until a voice startled me from besides my locker door. It was Christian.

"Can we talk?" His teeth were clenched, as if he was angry. I just hoped it wasn't at me.

"Yeah sure." I shut my locker and pushed my satchel strap further up my shoulder. He grabbed my elbow and began leading me outside, towards the back of the building where no one could see us.

"What are you doing?" He growled, his stormy grey eyes leaving me slightly speechless.

"Helping you." I stuttered. Was he really angry at me? At me? Honestly.

"Well stop. You're making things worse. Stay out of my way." He threatened. I wasn't scared.

"Christian, she's molesting minors, that's illegal!" I shouted, unable to control myself anymore and I ran my hand through my long hair, frustrated that he wasn't seeing that what she was doing was wrong.

"Don't worry, I won't be a minor for long. I'm turning eighteen next week and since I'm a consenting adult, you have no right to be up in my business." He growled.

"Which is why you have to tell someone now. You're dad's a lawyer, he can put her away for good-"

"No!" He yelled, his voice echoing on the walls, leaving me speechless for a second. Tears welled up in my eyes as I squished the rising anxiety down, letting out a shaky breath. I reached into my satchel and kept my hand there, stroking the old fur of Mr Rabbit.

"I don't understand. Why are you so determined to expose Elena? You'll ruin her life, her marriage, her everything." He ran a hand through his unruly copper hair, nostrils flaring as he paced before me.

"Christian, do you know why I'm here?" I asked the frustrated teen before me. He paused, his eyes looking conflicted before nodding solemnly.

"I doubt you know the whole thing. Look, it's getting late, but we're not done. Come to my place after dinner." He looked like he wanted to protest, but after narrowing my eyes at him, he nodded before stalking off on his own.

* * *

Mia was babbling about some cute boy in school she had a crush on, and I felt bad for not listening to her since my mind was preoccupied. She was a nice girl, my first ever true friend and I considering telling her everything but she looked so happy and innocent, I didn't want to destroy that.

Though I'd have to at some point.

We were in my room currently, Ray was watching a sports game with his beer and after a while of catching up and chilling, we decided to take our girly matters to my room.

"So I heard Kate Kavanaugh talked to you today." Mia beamed, looking at me eagerly.

"Yeah, she was nice, we laughed. She's a nice girl, very pretty." I shrugged, fiddling with Mr Rabbit's long floppy ear. Mia squealed.

"She's like so popular. Her twin brother is even hotter. His name is Ethan." She sighed dreamily. I shook my head at her. Before I could say anything, a knock on my door startled me and my heart sped up up a so realised it was Christian.

"Mia, can I talk to Anastasia real quick? Alone?" Mia sighed dramatically before nodding her head, getting up off my bed.

"Ill see you at school. Plus, we have to have a sleepover this weekend."

"Mia I can't, I have...things." It's been three months and I was still in denial about the fact that I needed a shrink. She's looked at me funny, they both did but thankfully, she left it at that, saying her goodbyes as she left.

Christian stood awkwardly in my room, hands in his jean pockets, unsure of how to approach me.

"So you're from London." He drawled.

"Sit." I gestured to the end of my bed where his sister sat previously. He did.

"I just don't understand why you're so obsessed with Elena." He sighed. I did too.

"Because what she's doing is wrong. You have to tell someone. You have to say something before it gets worse, before it's too late. I wish I had someone to tell me!" Tears were welling up in my eyes at the sudden outburst I had and he looked at me, powder grey eyes wide as saucers, his lips slightly parted.

"You were-Were you..." He looked uncomfortable, his face looking pained.

"Raped? No, but I would have had I stayed for a second longer in that shithole." I growled.

"I'm so sorry." He began, but I stopped him. I don't need pity. I don't want it either.

"Don't be. If anything, I'm sorry for you." I snapped back at him and clearly the words stung him as he looked away, but I didn't apologise.

"What about your mom?" His voice was quiet, and for a second, I wanted to ask him the same thing. What about his birth parents? Mia had told me they were all adopted.

"My mum? Just as bad as he was. Watched him do things to me, even defended him. Even thought I deserved it." He shut his eyes at my words, his breath sounding somewhat laboured. But I carried on.

"But she wasn't all that bad. She was very flighty though. I remember when she divorced Ray. She got full custody of me and we went back to London. She had money then from a job as a secretary at some big shot law firm and she spent it. We didn't have a home, but we stayed at all these posh fancy hotels and ordered room service all the time and I'd get ice cream every day." I smiled at the early but fond memories I had. I don't bother to try stop the tears.

"You know what the worst thing was?" I let the question hang in the air, and although it was rhetorical, he shook his head at me, looking at me sadly.

"After her credit cards were frozen and we were forced out of the hotel, I wondered to myself, what if I had asked for less expensive things for Christmas. What if I hadn't ordered that ice cream every night. It's the worst feeling you can have as a seven year old." I murmured, rubbing my fingers into the faded grey fur of my rag doll rabbit.

"Ana, it's not your fault." Christian spoke up. He shuffled closer to me and grabbed my hand, surprising me. His hand was larger than mine, encompassing my cold thin fingers with the warmth of his.

"I tried telling myself that. So do my shrinks. But it's one thing knowing that and it's another believing it." I stared into his eyes and they were glassy with a foreign emotion.

"So after that, we were given a community home with other families facing poverty. I had to move to a closer school filed with dodgy people. We lived in on of the worst boroughs of London and although it was different, I actually kind of liked it. No one made fun of me for getting free school meals or having old clothes from last years fashion collection. I was another kid amongst the thousands who had a rough life." I smiled a little as his thumb began rubbing circles on the back of my palm as he listened quietly.

"But then, my mum began coming home less often and she'd been gone a whole week when she came back home, clinging to some sleazy drug addict of a man, showing off that cheap horrible ring on her left hand." I frowned at the thought and felt the rage that I had for my mother rise.

"We moved into his place, just down the road and to be honest, it looked worse than the house we shared with five other families. He had his junkie friends over at odd times in the night and as time went on, he got more and more sloppy. He didn't even try to come up with excuses for the lipstick on his face or the heels in the house and my mother just let it all go."

"She didn't care her husband was spending all the money on drugs, she didn't care her husband had sold her engagement ring to pay for some hookers and she didn't care her husband was beating up her daughter for no reason." A sob wracked my body at the last sentence and although Christian wiped away my streaming tears, I knew I couldn't stop now. No matter how traumatising a trip down the memory lane would be.

"He would shout at me if I didn't make his food right, he'd slap me if I looked at him wrong and he'd beat me if I refused to sit with him and his junkies while they got high. He'd use anything to hit me with, anything to blame me for. He didn't win the lottery, I'd somehow jinxed it and it'd be the belt tonight. He'd run out of beer, I probably gave it to the boy I'd been fucking around with." I spat, my voice dripping with venom.

"I'd lived like that for five years." At my statement, Christian looked horrified.

"When I turned twelve, his friends got a little touchy feely and so did he. I'd hide in a cupboard for a whole night, afraid they'd come into my room while I was asleep." I shuddered, hugging my old toy closer to my chest.

"Once he found me in there and locked me in there for four days. My mother found me in there and unlocked it, saying I had to go to school. I was so hungry, I ate so much lunch at school and my friends laughed and joked at me. If only they knew, I always thought." I paused, looking up to see his face.

His grey eyes were wide, looking haunted and it scared me. That's exactly what he'd look like if Elena continued molesting and harassing him. That's why I had to help him.

"It became frequent that if I refused to let him-that if I didn't do as he said, he'd lock me in there for days. And he did. I hardly got any food or water and I starved in the dark rank cupboard with nothing but Mr Rabbit to keep me company." I laughed, waving said toy at him, but there was no humour in my voice.

"He came home one day, while I was still in the cupboard and I heard him coming in with some hooker and I was disgusted, I could hear everything. I struggled to get out when he suddenly opened it, half naked and dragged me out, throwing me to a heap on the floor." Christian looked horrified at where I was going with the story.

"He tried to grab my clothes and apparently the girl was screaming, telling him to stop, but I couldn't hear her over my own screaming. He slapped the half naked hooker and she in turn hit a vase on his head. He fell to the ground. I didn't even spare him a glance as I legged it out of the house as far as I could.

"I ran and ran, with no destination at hand. I was lost in the city, no idea where I was or where to go and after running for so long with little energy, I passed out on the pavement." I paused, taking in a shaky breath.

"Some people found me, took me to the hospital and I spent weeks there, just trying to heal. From bruised bones to infected wounds to malnutrition, I was under observation. I blurted everything out to the police and shrinks came to visit everyday. I cried and cried for days just apologising over and over, for being a nuisance since everyone was searching for my mother and Stephen and his junkie friends." I sniffled, trying to hold back the sobs.

"They told me it wasn't my fault and that I should stop apologising, that it was their job to help. But they said I should have told someone sooner." I took in a deep breath, bracing myself for my next sentence. "Because if I had said something sooner, my mother wouldn't have been dead."

And with my final sentence, my walls came crashing down in one big heap and I let it all out.


	7. Chapter 7

Ana POV

I cried, letting the sobs wrack my body as the memories became too much for me. Who knew I'd open up to a boy I knew for three days and not the therapist I'd been with for three months.

Suddenly, I was engulfed in heat as a warm body held mine and it took me longer than it should have to realise that he was hugging me. Christian Grey was hugging me and I knew it was rare. Mia hardly touched him, Elliot gave him space and even his parents avoided bodily contact.

Maybe he had a thing?

But I wasn't complaining, I took full advantage of it and practically melted in his embrace. He pulled me into his lap, cradling me like the baby I was and I wrapped my arms around his neck.

 _Honestly you stupid baby, have some dignity and pull yourself together._

"I'm so sorry Ana, I didn't mean to hurt you." He murmured, rocking me back and forth, his voice soothing.

"It's not your fault. I just don't want you to end up being a mess like me." I sobbed, trying to calm my breathing and saying the alphabet backwards. Counting stopped helping long ago.

"Z, Y, X, W, V, U, T..." I hiccuped, pulling out of his warm embrace

"Look, I didn't want to hurt you, I just-" He ran a hand through his hair again, making it even more unruly. But he still looked handsome anyway.

"No, its fine, I have no right in your business. You're almost eighteen anyways." I shrugged, my voice coming out flat, almost as dead as how I felt.

"No! God, why is this so hard?" He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, his eyes closed. Silence fell over us, neither one of us speaking. I had nothing left to say and he looked like to be doing everything in his power to say nothing. I was tired and wanted to do nothing more than curl up in my bed and go to sleep.

"Don't feel obligated to say something you don't want to. You can leave." I mumbled, picking on the peeling pink paint on my nails Mia had applied. It was a hideous shade of hot pink with glitter.

"My mom died too." He whispered. I looked up at him and saw his angry features swapped for the broken one. His voice was quiet and cracked as he looked at the floor, rubbing his hands together.

"She was a crack addict. Drugs were her only escape from the pimp. He was an abusive bastard, picking on me. I was his personal punchbag and ashtray." His jaw was twitching, his hands balling into fists and my chest hurt, my heart aching for him.

"One day, he got so mad. I had been playing with a small toy, and he screamed at my mom, calling her names. She didn't protest one bit, just let him. She always let him have his way and it was one thing I hated about her." He shook his head to himself, as if trying to erase the traumatic memories of his past.

"But instead of turning on her, he turns on me. Punches me, kicks me, sends me flying to the wall. I almost passed out. He only stopped when he got tired. Thank fuck he left. My mother stared at me like I had caused all this and she gets high. The crack whore gets fucking high until she overdoses and falls dead." His teeth were clenched and he was shaking.

I placed my hand on his closed fist where his nails were digging into his flesh. He loosened his grip and I held his hands, just like how he held mine, playing with his fingers, trying to show him that I was there for him. I'd always be there for him.

"I was four. I didn't understand she was dead. She was cold so I put my blanket on her. I was so hungry, I had been in there alone with her corpse for four days. Until one day the pimp comes back in. He takes one look at my mother and runs back out. Hours later, the police finally came." He let out a breath he'd been holding and tightened his hand around mine.

"Grace found me in the paediatrics ward and she took me in. She looked like an angel when I first saw her with her white uniform. But no matter how much I loved her and even enjoyed Elliot's company, I never talked. Not one word. I stayed mute for another two years until Mia finally came."

"I held her as a baby in my arms and she was so pure and cute, I knew she couldn't harm me. The first thing I said was her name." He was smiling fondly now and it warmed me that he loved his sister so much. Despite the age gap, I could clearly see how close they were just by a few observations.

"Still, I always felt like I never fit in. I was the freak kid who didn't want to be touched. I was afraid of people touching me, especially my chest and back. Kids picked on me and I had a bad tempe, I'd always lash out, beating people up. I'd get expelled from schools, heck, Carrick had to bribe Seattle Prep to take me." He chuckled humourlessly, shaking his head.

I was surprised he had a touching phobia. I mean, he wasn't all touchy-feely, but he held me, in his arms and lap, where I had been fully in contact with his chest.

He let me touch him?

"Grace found me work one summer, some garden work for Elena. After I finished, she came back out with some lemonade and I took a sip and spit back out because it was too sweet. She slapped me, hard across the cheek, but then she kissed me." I squeezed his hand, squishing down by anger for the witch as I listened to his story.

"She then asked me if I liked it. I said yes, I was a horny teenager and she was the hot cougar. She then showed me her dungeon and explained her world to me. She said she knew about my problem and wouldn't touch me where I didn't want to. I was turned on. She told me I could carry on working for her and I did. We've been together since." He finished.

Together? Did he think it was some kind of your average everyday relationship.

"How old were you?" I asked the dreaded question. He looked at me, the first time since he's begun saying his story. His eyes were a steely grey, clear of all emotions, looking haunted.

"Fifteen." He murmured, watching me.

I almost lost my shit.


	8. Chapter 8

Ana POV

"Christian, it's been going on for three years. How long do you think she's going to keep you. She a manipulative bitch, I can see it in her creepy eyes and her sick twisted smiles. She's a pedophile straight out of Law And Order!" I exclaimed.

"Don't you see? I belong in that world. I'm fucked up just like her it only makes sense to do what she does." He was angry now and I was too.

"What world? You keep going on about 'that world', what do you mean?" I asked, absolutely exasperated and exhausted. It was starting to get late.

"It's- you wouldn't understand, you're too young." He mumbled, looking uncomfortable.

"Ha! Try me. Dungeons and leather bodysuits, it looks like some serious BDSM shit." I bit back snarkily. Too young to understand my ass! He looked at me funny, his eyes boring into mine, and after a moment, I realised my sarcastic comment hit the target as he clenched his jaw before standing up abruptly.

As if on cue, Mia burst in to my room, looking between us with a smirk. Thank God my tears had long ago dried because I didn't want to explain or lie to Mia about what had transpired between us.

"One moment my butt. What were you guys talking about? Ooh, do I smell a little love in the air? Anyways, mom says you have to come home. Leave poor Ana to get some sleep, it's a school night." She was smirking and had a mischeavous glint in her eyes as she looked at her brother.

"Mia, it's nothing like that, now lets go." I felt hurt as he left, not even a goodbye and I heard the front door slam after them.

* * *

I woke up feeling grogggy and sat up, my eyes widening at the alarm clock once I realised it was almost noon. Someone had taken off my jacket and shoes and put a blanket on top of me and my heart swelled with gratitude for Ray.

After changing into some comfortable leggings and an oversized jumper, I headed downstairs, seeing Ray, perfectly comfortable in his favourite worn out armchair. He must have heard me because he greeted me with a smile.

"Hey Annie. You looked so tired mast night, I decided to let you sleep." He explained. I nodded, making myself a cup of tea before sitting opposite him on the sofa.

"Thanks Dad. Haven't slept like that in a while." I murmured into my cup before taking a sip. I loved the stuff. Calmed my nerves and soothed my tummy.

"Listen Annie," Ray began, interrupting my thoughts. "I know I haven't been home often and we haven't been spending time with each other a lot, but if you want to talk, about something that's bothering you, I'm all ears. I reckon I can even take more time off work if you need me. I know you must feel like you spend more time with the Greys than your own pops but-" I cut off his rambling by giving him a tight hug.

"I'm okay, I promise. You don't have to take off more time than you need to, I'm perfectly happy. I love you daddy." I mumbled into his shirt, pushing down the all too familiar lump in my throats.

"I love you too Annie." He mumbled gruffly into my hair, smoothing the strands back.

"Now come on, I didn't give you a day off school for nothing. What do you wanna do?" He asked, smiling at me, his blue eyes glinting with mischief. Many people easily believed I was his biological daughter, the blue eyes, the dark hair, although he didn't have freckles and was a little more tanned than I.

However, I looked exactly like my mother and at first, when I was young, I was proud to be pretty, just like mummy, but now, I was glad the woman was long dead and buried and didn't have to be associated with her.

"Fishing. Haven't done that in a while." I smiled.

"Fishing it is then." He chuckled.

* * *

We got back home rather late, it was just past sundown. It was dinner time already and Ray and I had agreed that some fish fry would be perfect, as a celebratory meal after seven successful catches.

"You got a good arm kiddo, reeling those big ones in like a pro." Ray complimented, ruffling my hair out of the messy ponytail I did last minute. As we neared our house, I heard small footsteps approaching fast, and saw a testy eyed Mia running towards me. She flew into my arms and I easily caught her small body.

"What's wrong Mia?" I asked, looking at Ray who gave an equally concerned look at the sobbing girl in my arms.

"Where were you today? Christian came home late all bruised and bloody. Oh God, I thought it was over. But he got into another fight and he's arguing with our parents right now." She wailed, muffled by my shirt. Ray opened the door and I guided her inside.

"Its okay Mia, I'll talk to him." I soothed, smoothing her black pixie cut hair.

"Oh please do. He only seems to listen to you. I think he likes you." She giggled at the last part, returning to her usual self as she wiped her tears and runny mascara away.

"Wanna make fish fry with us? I caught this one." She scrunched up her nose at the sight of the large grey marine animal on the chopping board. But she shrugged and rolled up her baby pink sweater sleeves, ready to get her manicured hands dirty.

Two hours later, we all sat on the sofas, lounging, completely full from the fish and baked vegetables that we all made. It was fun and I was glad to have spent my day with Ray, like a somewhat normal girl and was proud to say that pedophiles and tortured seventeen year olds hardly entered my mind.

However, Mia's presence had reminded me of all the detective work I had yet to do, and just how soon I had to do it. I had my suspicions that the bruises Mia had narrated and described to me was a tatster of the horrors the she-devil would inflict on my Christian.

I had to act fast.


	9. Chapter 9

Ana POV

"So, how do your parents know Elena?" I asked while Mia painted my nails a nice shade of blue. She gave me a funny look, but answered my question anyways.

"She was our old neighbour and moms known her ever since moving in to Settle. She lives next to our old house." I needed to get the information out of Mia without rising suspicion.

"Where'd you used to live?" I asked, keeping my tone mildly interested.

"Number Three, Ferris Drive. It was full of bachelor homes and mom and dad wanted a family home after adopting us all." She shrugged, inspecting her masterpieces on my nails. Now they were a shimmery sparkly blue and I didn't mind the look.

"Mia! It's getting late, I think you should head home!" Ray yelled from downstairs. Mia sighed and she let me walk her home. We said our goodbyes and she hugged me and thanked me for making her laugh. My heart squeezed and filled with warmth as I returned her hug with just as much love.

"I'm calling it a night Annie. You should too." Ray kissed my forehead before retreating to his room. My heart was racing, my mind was running as I thought of a plan to find out more about Elena. My mind could only resort to one thing.

Breaking and entering.

With the power of my phone and my stealth, I sneaked back outside, into the cool chilly night. I had grabbed my coat just in case. I carefully followed the phones instructions, taking lefts and rights and walking for what seemed like an eternity.

Finally, after ten long and tirtiuroys minutes, I stood on Ferris Drive, looking over at the long stretch of road before me, not knowing where to begin. For a moment, I stood on the pavement, looking lost as I leaned on the tree, however, as if hearing my prayer, a shiny red familiar car pulled up into one of the houses, dissapearing into the garage.

I took my chance.

I snuck over to the house and cursed the high security gates before making my way to the back of the house. The garden was dark, with low walls that I could easily climb. Despite the sophisticated structure of the house, the garden was pretty simple and kept, with no cameras or gates to be seen.

"Lincoln, I made food, you didn't have to eat out..." I heard her voice ring out. I stood in the shadows, with perfect view of the living room, thanks to her glass patio doors. After some more murmuring, she sighed and opened the door. To my relief, she didn't come any further, but she pulled out a cigarette and took in long drags.

Moments of silence passed and I was losing my patience, but thankfully, she left the garden, leaving the doors open behind her. I heard her shoes clacking away, further into the house and I entered the living room after the coast was clear.

I wandered the house lost for a bit, hiding from wandering maids. Living with Stephen had given me more than enough practice on hiding and sneaking. Although trespassing on other people's homes was new.

I found a set of stairs that led to the basement and took them, hoping to find something. I did. An unlocked room. More like a dungeon. I shuddered at the sight before me.

Canes, whips, flogs and other torture items hung from the wall. There was a large X, a bed with no sheets and some other devices I'd rather not look at for fear of losing what little innocence I had. However, there was a cupboard.

I made my way over to it, opening the draws to find more disgusting equipment before finding an envelope. Opening it, I almost cried and I covered my mouth as the fell to the floor, beneath my fingers. The shiny polaroids stared back at me and I picked them up with shaky fingers.

There were eight of them, including Christian. All of them looked similar, either with copper hair, grey or blue eyes and that similar haunted expression that made the, so vulnerable. I heard voices and began making my way upstairs and out of the house. My footsteps echoed around the house as I ran and I heard voices and felt someone was chasing me.

"Excuse me!" One maid called out. However, I was long gone over the wall and running away from Ferris Drive.

* * *

"Hey Ana! I haven't seen you in a while? What happened to that lunch date you promised me?" Jose greeted me with a hug and had I not been tired, I would have politely let him down as I pulled his eager hands away from me.

"I don't remember having a date." I grumbled, stabbing my chicken salad a little too roughly. His face fell, but I didn't have enough energy to care. However, a looming shadow behind me brought me out of my grumbling, but I didn't turn around.

"What do you want Grey?" I gritted my teeth, chewing on another mouthful. Jose looked uncomfortable, looking between me and the shadow behind me.

"Could you give us a moment alone?" The deep voice behind me barked out, making the tanned boy give me an apologetic smile before scrambling away. A tray slammed onto the empty seat opposite me and Christian took his seat.

Mia had been right, he had an ugly yellowing bruise on his cheek and a fading purple mark under his left eye, as well as a busted lip.

"Some fight huh." I commented dryly. He clenched his teeth but made no move to answer, instead staring me down as I finished my food off. We sat like that for a while, before I broke it.

"I'm going to tell someone." I mumbled.

"What?" He growled, slamming his hand onto the table, scaring a few passing students in the lunch hall.

"Christian, you can't be selfish. There are others, much younger than you and she had them tied up and beaten worse than your face. You can help me or oppose me, but I'm not letting the bitch molest seven more kids." I growled lolly, so no straying ears could hear. He looked angry, his eyes blazing with fury, but he didn't say anything.

"Imagine if it was me. Imagine Rays best friend came to me when I was most vulnerable, tied me up and beat me and make me think I deserved it. What would you do if you found out it had been going on for a while? Stay silent and let me get raped?" I asked, sitting back in my seat and crossing my arms.

"Then it's different-"

"Different because I'm a girl? Girl, boy, both or none, assault is assault, rape is rape, and no means no." I stood up, ready to leave and compose myself in the bathroom. However, a hand around my arm stopped me. I looked down to see Christian looking up at me fearfully.

"I'll help you. Just give me some time. I'll come by after school to talk about...everything." I nodded and he blew out a breath. He let go of my arm and I made my way to the bathrooms.

After the bell rang, I exited the bathroom, putting a smile on my face and pretending I was a normal student for once.

The rest of the day was okay, I sat with Kate Kavanaugh, and despite her high profile appearance and intimidating looks, she was cool to hang out with. I left the classroom with her phone number and a promise to arrange a hangout weekend in the near future.

I was at my locker, when a boy approached me.

"Hello." I smiled at him, as he stood awkwardly in front of me. He was not that much taller than my five foot two, and he was shuffling from foot to foot, looking nervous. He had tan skin, darks mahogany hair and light grey blue eyes, a handsome boy, who looked only a little older than myself.

"Are you Anastasia Steele?" He asked quietly. I was confused, my name wasn't that popular that strangers in this giant school could recognise me.

"Yeah, do I know you?" His face looked slightly familiar, and upon closer inspection, I saw a faint scar on his cheek and a few small scabs here and there. Jeez, what happened to this kid?

"Not really. You're the girl that wants to expose Mistress aren't you?" He whispered. My eyes widened and I was shocked. He was one of the boys I had seen from those wretched photos.

"Yea, I am. Will you help me? Will you tell the police what she's doing to you?" I asked. He looked unsure, but I could see a spark, a fire and determination in his eyes that I so desperately wanted to see in Christians. Before he answered I knew what his reply would be.

"Yes. I'll testify against the bitch." His shaking hand was closed in a fist and I was so glad to hear those words from him. I offered him what little comfort I could give and gave him a hug, which he immediately returned.

We said our goodbyes and he said he'd speak with me tomorrow. I felt a lot lighter that I had one victim who'd at least testify. Jesus fucking Christ, I felt like I was doing all the police's work for them.

Olivia Benson would've been proud.

"So, is he you're boyfriend or something?" I turned around to find a scowling Jose leaning on the lockers beside mine. I slammed it shut, ready to walk out, since I didn't need his whining to distract me.

"Wait, Ana, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it." For the second time that day, a boy grabbed my arm in a desperate attempt to stop me from storming away. I turned around, exasperated, ready to leave the school as the Greys waited for me in their car.

"Look I'm sorry-I guess-I have to tell you-well-" I was getting impatient. The Greys were waiting for me in their car. I could see Christian glaring through the window and Mia waving. I turned back to see Jose blushing, looking nervous.

"Jose, I really have to go, can this wait?" I finally got Christian to see, he promised to help. I was dying to talk to him, to finally show him that what she was doing to him was wrong. The sooner I talked to him, the sooner this was over.

"I guess I'll have to show you then." He mumbled. Before I could ask what he meant, his lips smashed onto mine as he awkwardly kissed me. I'll admit, some far girly part of me was squealing and blushing that I was having my first kiss. It felt a little funny and warm, and had it not been for my current circumstances and I had been normal, I would've responders appropriately.

But alas, I was anything but normal as my hobbies included busting criminals, one of which could be beating up and innocent boy right this moment. So I pulled away, giving Jose a polite smile as I all but ran into the car and jumped in.

He stood there for a moment, looking lost sand staring at the car, but slowly began smiling and almost skipped away. I facepalmed really hard. I thought running away from him would suffice in displaying my uninterest in a relationship, but not everyone is smart enough to understand hints.

"Oh my God! You're first kiss! Was it good? Did you like it?" I ignored Mia's comments, glaring at the retreating form of the boy who had violated my mouth.

"Fuck no." I growled. I heard Elliott sniggering, trying to cover up his laughs with coughs as I set my heated gaze on him.

"Drive." I ordered, and thankfully, Elliot did, stepping on the pedal like there was no tomorrow.


	10. Chapter 10

Ana POV

When I got home, I couldn't find Ray.

He was always home when I got back from school, so my stomach turned as my mind ran over the possible explanations. I checked every room, my mind getting more and more panicked. I headed over to the Grey's house, wondering if Grace or Carrick knew where he was.

I entered the living room, calling out to see if anyone was there.

They were all there, along with two police officers. All five Greys, one smug Mrs Lincoln and a very worried and disappointed looking Ray. My hairs prickled on my arm, my heart sped up and my anxiety increased tenfold as everyone's eyes were on me.

"Ana, what have you done?" Ray's voice cracked, and he sounded so broken, I took a step towards him, wondering what he could've possibly meant.

"Dad?" My voice wavered, unsure. Was he sending me away? Was he going to put me in a foster home or an orphanage? Tears welled in my eyes, trailing down my cheek at the thought and my heart shattered.

"Miss Steele?" The police woman stepped towards me, placing a firm yet gentle hand on my shoulder. The police? Was I going away like a criminal? Like Stephen? Maybe I was just like him. Nothing but a worthless slut who should be locked away.

My anxiety was making it hard to think.

I was usually calm and collected, yet those walls that kept me going cam stumbling down that my only family and my only friends wanted me away. No doubt the witch came to enjoy the show.

She was smirking, and pulled out something from her purse. It was a key ring. Specifically mine. It was a wooden A, painted blue and it used to have beads all over it, but most fell off. It had been a gift to me from my mum when I was six.

I almost cried at the sight of it, in her claws.

"Miss Steele, you have been accused of breaking and entering Mrs Lincoln home last night, is this true?" The police woman asked, her tone firm, much like her grip. The policeman opposite me had a notepad out, scribbling things down, waiting for my answer.

"Yes." I answered. Mrs Grey gasped, Mia looked confused, Elliot was shaking his head but Mr Grey and Ray were looking at me disapprovingly and disappointed, however, I could clearly see the curiosity in their eyes. Why did I do it.

"I broke into Mrs Lincoln house to expose the child molesting bitch for harassing and sexually assaulting several young and underage boys." There were gasps, murmurs, protesting, but my head was pounding, I couldn't pin point who was doing or saying what as I closed my eyes shut.

"Miss, are you alright? Take a seat." The police woman, who's name tag said Max, guidied me to a single chair the other officer had pulled out for me. I vaguely registered Mia, Elliot and Christian being sent upstairs by their father.

"Ana, why accuse Elena of such vile things? What brought this on?" Mrs Grey asked, looking shocked.

"The little brats hated me from the start, no doubt jealous-"

"Don't speak to my daughter like that!" Ray intervened for my sake.

"Quiet!" The policeman shouted. The room fell silent. I looked around the room, making eye contact with Elena, satisfied with the slightly alarmed look on her features.

I pulled out my phone and the envelope, handing them to the police woman. She riffle through the envelope, without showing anyone else, and clenched her jaw, standing up straight from her kneeling position by me.

She spoke into her walkie talkie, most of which I didn't understand, however, everyone caught onto the fact that she called for a few more officers. Finally, she said the words I'd been dying to hear.

"Elena Lincoln, you are under arrest under suspicion of child molesting, sexual assault and rape. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say or do, can and will be held against you on the court of law..." The woman was cuffed and dragged outside by the two officers.

Mrs Grey was sobbing.

I didn't have the heart to tell her that her son was one of the countless victims.

More officers came, not wearing uniforms like the rest, but had badges attached at their hips on display. The adults were taken outside for more interrogation and two officers, a woman and a man again, came to speak with me.

"So you're the girl that's done our jobs for us? I'm Detective Daniels and that's Detective Lawson." The woman smiled, kneeling to my level on the chair. I hated it when adults did that, I wasn't some ignorant little kid.

"Why'd you do it?" The guy asked, standing a little behind the woman, further away from me. They were both watching me like a hawk, as expected from officers who had to deal with lying criminals everyday.

"Is Mrs Grey okay? Does she know?" I asked. Grace was such a soft hearted woman, every time I went over her reaction to my news in my head, she'd always break.

"Yes, they're currently being excoreted to the station where Elena will be questioned." The woman, Daniels answered, her voice patient. How many little kids did she have to deal with like me?

"You wanna come with us? We need to ask you a few question here and there, it'll be quick." I cooperated with them, following them to their car, which was a shiny black one.

The drive was quiet, except the two detectives making small talk. I had always wanted to see and interrogation room, having watched so many crime series my life, however, it was different than I expected it to be. For one, they put me in an interrogation room for little kids, designed like a nursery. It had colourful walls and posters with toys about the place.

There was the glass mirror on the wall however, where I knew people were watching me as another detective was making meaningless small talk to get me to open up to her. However, I would do that willingly without the childish crap.

"Can I go into a real interrogation room? The one with the bare walls and metal tables?" I asked, spinning the wheels of a toy car about. Maybe the toys were useful.

"Why?" The detective asked, looking at me curiously with her brown beady eyes.

"Because all the bright colours here are hurting my eyes and the toys and crayons, quite frankly, are just insulting. I've watched plenty of Law And Order to know the drill." She looked surprised by my mature tone which I personally blamed on my accent and glanced at the mirror on the wall.

The door opened, and I was soon escorted to the other room.

This time, Detective Lawson and Davids were there.

"So, it seems like you've been in this position before back in London." Davids started, staring at the lime green folder with my name on it. It was full of papers, given my very violent past. I winced.

"Yeah, but I'm not used to being the criminal." I sighed, running a hand through my hair. Maybe cuffs would've completed the look. Stephen was right, I was going to end up rotting in a cell just like him.

"What makes you think you're a criminal?" The woman asked, her eyes staring at me deeply, as if reading my soul. My mother said I was such an open book sometimes.

"I don't know, I just feel like shit, destroying a perfectly happy family, disappointingmy dad, hurting Christian." I whispered the last part. I caught his face as I left the house with the two officers. He looked so hurt and betrayed.

"Anastasia, you saved that boy. God knows what that woman would've done to him hadn't you exposed her." She assured me, her tone gentle and I believed her for a second. However, this wasn't about me anyways.

"Did you find the recording on my phone?" I asked.

"Yeah. You do some pretty nifty detective work, could put me out of a job." I chuckled at Lawson's joke as he stood leaning on the wall.

"You know you could've come straight to the police as soon as you found out." She explained.

"Yeah, we could've got a warrant to search her and it would've been less risky for you." I could hear the slightly scolding tone in Lawson's voice. I sighed.

"Yeah, I know. But where's the fun in that?"

 **A.N Thank you all so much for reviewing my story, you don't know how much it means to me. Hope you enjoyed this chapter too.**


	11. Chapter 11

Ana POV

It had been one exhausting, emotional rollercoaster of a week, standing in front of the jury, being questioned by the district attorney and Elena's lawyer unmercilessly. Elena was pressing charges against me for breaking and entering, but Carrick, who had become my lawyer, persuaded the judge for a curfew for a while instead of the juvenile detention Elena was pushing for.

Anyway, the main focus wasn't on me anymore. It was all on Elena as the full courthouse waited to see what the verdict was. Although I knew we had this in the bag, it was still nerve racking to watch.

"How does the jury find the defendant?" The judge, an older woman asked the man standing up to her left in the jury box. American courts were so much different than the British ones.

"Your honour, we find the defendant," the man began, pausing dramatically. I let out an annoyed huff. This was not some dramatic television show, just say it dammit! "Guilty." A chorus of sighs and exclamations echoed around the packed court and the judge had to slam the gavel down multiple times to gain everyone's attention.

"Ms Lincoln, you will serve the maximum in jail, twenty five years with no parole..." I didn't hear the rest as Ray and Mr Grey each hugged me.

"You did it Annie. You did it." Ray exclaimed, voice gruff as he pushed back the tears in his eyes, much like me.

"We did it Daddy." I corrected. We hugged again and left the court room, in search of the rest of the Grey family. Mia had left mid trial with Mrs Grey because she couldn't listen to all the horrible things the boys had to admit Elena did to them. She was so pure and innocent, she wasn't cut out for this.

Unlike me, who was tainted and messed up.

"Ana! She's gone! They've put her away right? For a long time right?" Mia was firing off questions as she barrelled into my arms, burying her face in my black formal shirt.

"Yes Mia, she's not coming out for at least twenty five years." I reassured her, stroking her silky brown hair.

"Christians safe now. He's safe." She was murmuring the words over, as if to herself as I held my bestfriend. Mr and Mrs Grey were conversing with Ray and Elliott was leaning on the wall, not appearing as calm as he was trying to be.

Thankfully, Mia let me go to talk to her dad so I approached the solemn boy, thinking how unsuitable and almost frightening a frown appeared on his otherwise jovial face.

"Hey Elephant. You okay?" I asked, standing besides him. He was watching the pipel leaving the courthouse and I did too.

"I will be now Ana Banana." He murmured distractedly. I was about to say something but he continued. "I just didn't think that Elena trying to seduce me all those years back would really mean anything. If I had said yes would I have been like one of them? Or worse, would she not have targeted My younger brother?" His voice cracked towards the end and I didn't need to look up at his face to know there were tears.

But I turned around to face him, looking him dead in the eyes.

"Elliot, if we stood here and pondered over all the what-if's and should-have's, we would be stuck in the same place forever, never moving forward. Regardless if it was you or Christian, what she was doing or going to do to other boys wouldn't have stopped. I just don't want you to blame yourself." I finished. He still looked tortured.

"It's just how didn't I notice it? She was always looking at him funny, pulling him into other rooms for a private chat." He ran a hand through his blonde curls frustrated at himself. I knew that too well.

"Because, unlike me, you have an actual life with actual important descisions and work to do. I didn't and I spent too much time staring at her and stalking her to notice it." I half joked. It worked. He chuckled and shook his head at me before pulling me into a massive bear hug, twirling me around the hallway.

"You are something speacial kid. I just hope Christian sees that." He murmured the last part like an afterthought and I wondered what he meant.

"Where is Christian?" I asked once he had put me down.

"Home, playing the blame game." His voice dropped with venom and his eyes darkened, surprising me. He shook his head gave me a smile and ruffling my hair. "See you at home squirt." He turned around and left, heading to his car.

"Come on Ana, it's been a long day. Let's head home kiddo." Ray had slung his arm over my shoulders and we too left, heading home where boxes of pizza and takeout would await us.

* * *

It had been almost a week since I had seen the Greys, mostly due to school work I had to catch up on, the curfew and spending most of my days with Ray. From fishing, to hiking to just plain old to, I took advantage off his week off work by practically gluing myself to his hip.

It was one such evening of watching reruns of Friends while joking about the prospect of Ray dating, that the doorbell rang. It was eight so I couldn't leave but I opened the door nevertheless.

A woman stood there, along with a man, both of whom looked down at me expectantly. Both were dressed rather fashionably, much like everyone in the neighbourhood aside from Ray and myself.

"Hello, can I help you?" I asked in my most politest voice. The woman smiled at the man to which he gave an encouraging smile.

"You must be Anastasia Lambert." She had a strong British accent, quite posh too. I was confused as to why she knew my name, or better yet, why she knew my old name.

"It's Steele actually, but may I ask how you know my name?" The couple looked confused.

"Annie? Who's at the door." Ray appeared behind me and the couple looked up at him. The woman fiddled with her designer handbag and this time the man took charge.

"I'm Alexander Cunningham, and this is my fiancée Emily Lambert. We have something important to discuss with you and your step daughter, may we come in?" The man sounded polite so Ray let him in and settled them while my mind reeled over their names.

"What do you want with my daughter?" Ray cut to the chase. He was protective over me, saying he wouldn't let anyone take me away, especially after my mother.

"Anastasia not you're biological daughter. Her real father is Franklin Lambert." The woman bit back defensively. I hated where this was going.

"How would you know that? What do you want?" Ray was beginning to lose his temper and I rushed to his side, grabbing his hand t calm him. The couple looked at me now as I had entered the room.

"Because I'm Franks sister, her real aunt and I'm claiming custody of her." And with that sentence, my world shattered.


	12. Chapter 12

Ana POV

The curfew was up, and I was making full use of it. The first thing I did was arrange a sleepover with Mia and Kate, staying in the former's large room, ranting out all my anger and frustration.

"And then, she barges into my life, just when things are looking up, claiming she has a right over me, when the bitch ignored me when I was living through hell in London." I exclaimed. Kate and Mia sat besides me, nodding and humming at the appropriate times, each rubbing my arms and coming my hair to calm me down.

"You're not leaving though are you?" Mia asked, her voice sounding fearful.

"No way in hell am I leaving my best friends and my family. She'll have to drag me kicking and screaming. I'll bloody make her life a living hell, show her the true wrath of Anastasia Steele-"

"Woah, easy there tiger!" Kate laughed. I sighed, pouting, when I saw a familiar shadow pass by the door, sulking away. I excused myself grabbing the shiny bag I had brought with me before I followed him up the stairs to the floor above where he disappeared into his room.

"Christian?" I knocked on the door. There was no answer. I knocked again, calling his name but there was no reply. But before I could knock again, the door was yanked open, revealing an annoyed Christian.

He looked down at me, waiting for me to say something but all I did was stare stupidly.

"What do you want?" He barked. That shook me out of my silly little girl fantasy.

"I haven't seen you in ages, just wondering if you were alive." I shrugged. That sounded so stupid.

"Hurrah, it's a miracle, I'm still alive!" He sassed back, his voice full of sarcasm. I snorted at that.

"Oh yeah, I never got to say Happy Birthday." I remembered my main reason of following him up here. His birthday had fallen in between trials and since I was under a sort of house arrest the past few weeks, I never got a chance.

He looked surprised as I handed him the shiny bag, taking it hesitantly and peering inside. His brow furrowed adorably and I watched his face anxiously as I waited to see his reaction.

There was a shirt and an oversized pullover hoodie, both with the year on which he was born. It had all the amazing things that happened on his birthday written all over it with my favourite quote on it 'Best of all, I made my entry.'

"Uh, I don't know what to say." He began, looking at them.

"Do you like it?" I asked. He looked up at me like a gaping fish.

"I love it." He answered. Relief flooded me as I watched him try it on. It was large but a nice fit, perfect for casual or pyjama wear. He cleared his throat, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "Uh, thanks, I wasn't expecting anything." He mumbled. He had no idea because there was way more coming next weekend.

"You're welcome." I answered back, glad he appreciated it. "You know, Grace and Carrick are worried about you." I added. The smile vanished from his face, replaced by a frown and I felt awful that I had tarnished the light mood.

"Why does it concern you?" He growled.

"Because after all they've gone through, the last thing they want to see is you closing off from them." I growled back. Don't blow a fuse Steele, he's just some silly cute boy messing with your head and feelings.

"Well I'm sorry, I'm trying to fix my shitty life that you fucked up by opening your big fat mouth." He was short of yelling and I idly wondered if anyone could hear him from downstairs.

"You know I had no choice but to tell the truth. The bitch was going to get me arrested." I explained, my voice low but full of anger.

"Maybe she should have! Maybe I would be happier seeing you out of my life, seeing you out of our lives." He shouted. The words stung but before I could retaliate with my own whirlwind of words, he continued. "You're so twisted and messed up, you just had to mess up our lives. You're a terrible influence on Mia and a girl of your background shouldn't be here!" He finished. He was panting, his chest heaving up and down, his eyes full of anger but mostly fear.

It was silent for a long moment, as I let the words echo in my ears and digest into my brain. You're twisted and messed up.

"It would've been better if you told me this before I bought the shirts. They cost a lot to personalise." I murmured, my voice empty and cold. I was trying to push away all my emotions, trying to distract my shocked brain.

To think I loved him.

"Ana, wait I-"

"Please, it's Anastasia. Anyway thanks for the chat, you helped me realise something." I gave him an overly sweet smile, turning to leave before I had a mental breakdown.

"Realise what?" His voice was quiet and hesitant, barely a whisper. But I heard anyway.

"I'm taking up Aunt Lambert on her offer." I replied, walking back down the stairs without so much as a glance at the boy that had ruined me.

 **A.N Thank you so much for reviewing my story and for liking it, it makes my whole day seeing positive responses. I'm really sick right now so excuse me if the lot seemed odd or rushed, pray I get better soon.**

 **Anyway, hugs and kisses to all my loyal viewers and readers I'm not ignoring you, I really appreciate you guys so much. Please tell me what you think of this chapter, and don't worry, constructive criticism is also appreciated.**


	13. Chapter 13

Christian's POV

I was such a fucking idiot. I can't believe I spewed up all that bullshit. She'd done so much for me, so much more than I could ever thank her for. Just when things were starting to go well, I had to screw it up. If it was even possible, I managed to fuck up my already fucked up life.

I guess only an idiot like me could manage that.

Mia was hardly looking at me, let alone talking to me. She didn't tell Mom or Dad about anything, but I didn't know how long she'd keep it in and I was desperately trying to fix it, but she was being so difficult.

"Mia, where is she?" I asked her for the hundredth time. She was pouting, turning away from me every time I tried to step into her line of sight, being childish.

"Stop being immature!" She was so infuriating. She hated being called that so it was no surprise she jumped to her defence.

"Who you calling immature when you said all those hurtful things to my best friend and only sister. She's been through so much, more than any of us combined and you treat her like trash when she saved you the most. I have tolerated your bullshit all these years, coming up with excuses for your rude behaviour. But you officially fucked up when you opened your mouth that day." I've never heard Mia swear, not ever.

Her words stung me, but they were all true. It kept me awake at night, rather than those nightmares, which is why I was looking for Ana. She wasn't home, Ray wasn't home, no one knew where she was. I'd been at her door for almost a week now.

"If you're looking for Ana, she left. She's somewhere in France at some lavish wedding. She'll stay there for the next month until her aunt goes off on her honeymoon." Mia sneered. I'd never seen her look so scornful and disappointed, it hurt that I was the target of her wrath. But I deserved it. More than deserved it.

"When will she be back?" I asked. Maybe I could message her. But I needed to see her face to face.

"Maybe Christmas. She might visit Ray here, or he'll go there." She tapped her lip mock thoughtfully, not giving me answers I wanted.

"What do you mean Christmas. Where's there? School starts in September." She looked at me as if I was stupid, and maybe I was, but it was getting on my nerves.

"She's going back to London." She said slowly, as if speaking to a child.

"London, why, but won't she-"

"She'll be living in some rich part of town or something. Either way, you pushed my only besfriend away. I hope you're happy." I now noticed the tears in her eyes. She turned away and left the room.

Fuck.

 **A. N. Sorry for the short chapter and the long wait, but I was swarmed with work and was at crossroad at where I go with the plot. Next update should be sooner. Anyway, tell me what you think about it.**

 **Ana will be going back to London...what happens next? Dun dun dun!**


	14. Chapter 14

Ana POV

The warm summer breeze blew my hair back as I looked over the busy streets of Marseille while I was leaning over the balcony railing. Today was an easy, lazy day filled with lemonade and local cuisine. Ray was reading the newspaper, squinting and furrowing his brow at it on the table. Emily was sunbathing on the deck chair besides me, expensive shades perched on her nose, while Alexander was scrolling through his phone, sipping his cool drink.

Everything was set and ready for next week.

Thesun came out from behind a cloud and I pulled down my own fashionable shades, smiling contently. We were like a mismatched dysfunctional family, but it was safe to say I loved them all. Including Emily and Alex.

At first, I thought Emily was the villain of my dramatic life, appearing mid episode when everything was starting to go well, throwing me off into a plot twist. While her timing was awful and her slightly snobbish attitude annoying, she was telling the truth when she said she wanted me to be part of her life.

Instead of spending time with all her blonde bridesmaids friends, she was spending her time with me at first, doing all girly things Mia would approve of.

My heart pranged at the thought of my first and only friend.

"I'm going inside for a bit." I announced.

"Okay sweetie."

"Just call if you need anything honey."

"Love you Annie." I smiled at everyone's sweet words, especially Ray, almost skipping inside. See, people do love you. It's funny how the smallest of things can make the biggest difference.

I grabbed my phone, scrolling through the contacts (there wasn't much), furrowingl my brow a little. Why was Christians number here? Shaking my head, I skipped that name and number, heading straight to M, anxiously holding the phone over my ear as it rung.

"Ana! Ana! I thought you were gone! Oh my god, I'm so sorry-"

"Mia, don't be sorry, I'm sorry. I was a shitty friend, hardly saying goodbye. I just really miss you." I was overcome with emotion. I sat on my large baby blue bed, in my blue room, missing my room back in Seattle.

"Good, you better be sorry. I was going to give you an earful about leaving me here. It's so boring without you." I could almost hear the pout in her voice, it made me laugh.

"Its not boring over here, it's quite busy, today's a lazy day, everyone's home. But damn, every time I walk past a spa, boutique or mall, it just reminds me of you. One big bloody headache waiting to happen." I could hear her protesting over the sound of my laughter.

"As much as your words wound me, I miss your snark. Kate's fun and all, but all she wants to talk about is her huge crush on Elliot." I grimaced slightly, but I knew of her crush on the large goofball. It was just weird.

 _Says the girl with the crush on the guy who literally told her to fuck off and die in a hole._ Am I stupid or something? He hates me and I'm sitting here imagining what I wouldn't give to be slightly older. _As if that would increase your chance of being with him_.

"What are you Greys all up to this summer then?" I asked, eager for a change of topic and thoughts.

"Visiting some relatives in New York ugh. And this time I'm not allowed to use my dad's credit card to go shopping. I swear though, I thought those Jimmy Choos were under two grand!" She whined.

"Wow, rich people problems."

"Shut up. You're a spoiled brat now. Welcome to Snob Club." We both laughed and I felt the ache in my chest ease away as we talked, making me feel ten times lighter and happier. Although, there was that annoying nagging feeling in the back of my head.

"So are you visiting for Christmas?" She asked. It sobered me up.

"I doing know. Emily might want me to celebrate our first Christmas with her. I might have to stay." I felt so guilty.

"So I won't you see ever?" Mia's voice sounded so quiet, I could hear the tears. It shattered my heart to hear the bright jovial girl break down and cry.

"No no no! You will see me in September. I might be late for school, but I will be there. I can't miss my first ever Thanksgiving, what kind of friend would I be?" I asked.

"So you're not moving to London?" She asked quietly. I was glad she wasn't crying anymore.

"No! Not anytime soon. I'm not going back. Despite everything that's happened, Seattle is my home. I'm just here for the wedding and a much needed relaxing vacation." I assured. "Who said I'd be gone forever?" I asked.

"No one, I just thought...I don't know..." she drifted off.

"I am coming back home to Seattle, to you and Elliot and I will annoy you all so much that you will start wishing I stayed in London." I promised. She laughed, it was slightly forced, but mostly full of relief and I was glad she finally got my message.

I would never move back to London. Emily knew that, Alex knew that, Ray knew that, which is why I was spending the whole summer with her.

We continued taking until my phone was about to die. With promises to Skype and Face Time soon, I head back outside on the balcony of the French penthouse, grabbing a lemonade and putting my shades back on.

I took a deep breath in and let out a small sigh, resuming my earlier position, watching the people bustle by and the streets contently, my heart and mind for a moment at ease.


	15. Chapter 15

Ana POV

I shivered as another cool gust of wind greeted me as we stepped out of the cab. The drive from the airport and the jet lag, and the crazy wedding and all the after parties, I was extremely tired. The trip to France had been one hell of an experience.

Who knew prim and proper Emily was a crazy party lover?

Anyway, Ray and I hauled our luggage into our house and went into our respective rooms for some down time. I showered and changed into some cosy and warm fluffy pyjamas before opening my phone which exploded on me.

Mia.

"Daddy, can I go over to the Grey's? Mia's going ballistic on me." I held up my phone and Ray smiled tiredly at me but nodded, ruffling my hair before sitting down in his favourite worn out leather recliner.

"Sure kiddo. Just be careful." I nodded and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. I pulled on my coat over my navy blue polka dot pyjamas, slipped on my fluffy boots and ran to the house opposite, rapping on the door.

There was shuffling on the other side of the door and shushing before it was pulled open. Mr and Mrs Grey opened in, both looking smartly dressed which was a little odd. They both looked down at me, holding back smiles.

"Hello Grace and Carrick. Uh, I just got back from France and wanted to say hi to Mia, can I come in?" I asked. Mrs Grey looked behind her for a second before nodded and they both stepped aside to let me in.

The house looked as pristine as I left it but it was oddly quiet. I walked around, calling Mia's name, until I walked into the dining room where the living daylights were scared out of me.

"Surprise!" Several voices yelled. Confetti flew around and I was even more surprised when Ray appeared besides me, putting ahead on my shoulder and chuckling. I turned to him and he smiled. A surprise party for me?

"I don't know what to say. Thank you guys so much." I was getting a little tears. Mia all but barrelled into me, wrapping her small arms around me astightly as she could and I did the same. She sniffles into my shoulder.

"I missed your crazy spunk Mia."

"And I missed your smart mouth Anastasia." We both laughed and let go and I finally got a good look around. Elliot was there, who spun me around like a doll in his famous bear hugs, Kate was there too who gave me a sweet hug. Mr and Mrs Grey were there watching us all. Banners, balloons, brownies, it almost overwhelmed me with happiness that I was finally home.

Only one thing could make it even better, but it wasn't likely.

I spent the whole evening babbling away to everyone and filling Mia in about cute French boys and the massive wedding Emily planned. It was after that, in her room did I pass out. I was laying in her bed, curled up besides her and I fell asleep and eventually she did too.

I remember falling asleep smiling that night.

* * *

"I don't understand though. What's dramatic irony got to do with anything?" Mia whined, waving her papers around dramatically. I smiled.

"Priestly uses dramatic irony to help prove and promote his socialist views." She blinked back at me and I sighed. "Basically, everyone but the Birlings know what really happens. Mr Birling thinks the Titanic is unsinkable, much like people believed back in 1912, but the people in 1945 who were watching the play would not only laugh at Mr Birling at how stupid he is, but also pause and think for a moment. They'd realise their error in making assumptions that everything would be fine. They'd realise their mistakes in underestimating the whiny Germans and the overlooking the poor. After fighting with the Germans twice and now facing poverty, the people would stop, think and realise that we can't fully survive in an 'every man for himself' world. And thats what Priestly wants us to do. Realise our errors and learn from them." I finished my long explanation.

Mia blinked at me like a fish.

"Wow, all that from a line? I'll never understand you or An Inspector Calls, but thanks for the answer." She laughed and I smiled.

It was another day and we were getting a start on our homework so we could chill during the Thanksgiving holidays.

English was all about analysis.

I shrugged and we both continued on with our homework.

Mia glanced up, behind me, towards the door of my room, since we were currently sitting on my rug. "I think I left something at my house, I'll be back." She quickly stood up and left and only when I turned to the door did I realise why.

Christian stood there awkwardly, hands in pockets, looking uncomfortably.

"Are you free?" He asked awkwardly. I pursued my lips.

"Well Mia ran off, so yeah. What do you want now?" My face was anything but inviting yet he shuffled more into my room, standing right in front of me. He looked just as handsome as he always did, in some jeans and a shirt, hair tousled just as always.

"Hou probably don't want to hear it and I probably deserve it, but I came here to apologise. What I said that day, I wish I could take it back. I was being a stupid idiot jerk. I have a really bad habit of fucking things up." He chuckled darkly, the sound anything but pleasant. No matter how angry I was at him, I could clearly see the self loathing he had.

"I wasn't even talking about you. All those words were about me-" He tan a hand through his head, looking extremely uncomfortable. I kept silent though. He had to apologise. Just because he went through some shit and he was handsome and I liked him didn't mean bull. He has to apologise.

"Shit Ana! Why is this so hard?" He seemed angry with himself.

"Look I'm sorry. You are everything except what I said that day. I'm an ungrateful ass and a horrible friend and I don't deserve your apology, but until you forgive me, I will continue to ask for it." The determination in his steely grey eyes surprised me and I wasn't sure what to say.

"Good. Because it will take a while." He didn't seem moved by my words, his eyes still as determined as before. He was being sincere.

That was enough for me.

"It's fine Christian, I'm over it. You don't have to bother." I sighed. Letting go of my anger towards him was easier than trying to let go of that annoying girly crush on him. He probably doesn't see me as anything than a little girl, his baby sister's best friend.

"No Ana, I don't just want you to be over it. You're the only one that keeps me on my toe. Heck my parents are in love with you." I wanted to ask if he was, but I held it back. Obviously. That would be weird.

"Well what do you want then?" I asked, standing up before my feet went numb. He looked unsure about what to say.

"Friends. Let's start over." I furrowed my brows. He held out his hand.

"Hi, I'm Christian Grey, I'm eighteen and I live opposite." I narrowed my eyes, and shook his large warm hand warily. I played along. I mean, fuck it right. If I got to start anew, completely fresh, then why shouldn't Christian, I should give him a chance no?

"I'm Ana Steele, I'm thirteen and I would love to be your friend." And more. I would gladly be more.

Oh God Steele, stop it.

He surprised me with a hug, his large arms pulling me into a warm hug. I could tell he was grateful and I reciprocated the hug. Was he over his ftouch fear?

"I could never thank you enough Ana. Never."

I smiled.

Totally worth it.

 **A.N. Sorry about the long wait. Excuse any errors I really wanted to post something. Wish me luck guys, I have two weeks of assessments for the next two weeks.**

 **Tell me what you think of the plot so far, the characters or just rant. Feel free to PM me too.**


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